Rand Paul Writing Contest UPDATE!

In light of Marco Rubio announcing his presidential candidacy, the Stand With Rand Writing Contest has a new category option for submissions.

Rand Paul supporters who want to be published in a book about Rand can choose to write on any of these six topics:

1)      Why Conservatives should vote for Rand

2)      Why Progressives should vote for Rand

3)      Why Independents and the politically homeless should vote for Rand

4)      Rand Paul is a better Republican candidate than Ted Cruz

5)      Rand Paul is a better Republican candidate than Marco Rubio

6)      Rand Paul is a better candidate for America than Hillary Clinton

Multiple submissions are allowed, but each one should be on a different topic.  Each topic will be its own individual book.  The eBook editions will be distributed free of charge.

If you do choose to submit your work for the contest, it would be published it under the Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) license, so you still retain the rights to your work.  Not only are you allowed to re-publish your work, but the Creative Commons license gives you permission to independently re-publish the entire book!

Submit your work to politicalzachfoster@gmail.com with the subject line 'WRITING CONTEST'.  The final deadline is 11:59 P.M. Pacific, June 1, 2015.

See the full contest guidelines here.

* * *

Picture courtesy of Politico and used according to Fair Use.

Stand With Rand Writing Contest

Four years ago I launched a special writing contest.  Contestants were to write an essay to any audience—liberals, conservatives, independents—about how Ron Paul best represents them and is the best candidate for the Presidency

The best essays were compiled into a campaign book in support of Ron Paul’s presidential candidacy, and it was written by We the People.  This book was published as VOICES OF REVOLUTION: Americans Speak Out for Ron Paul (download it for free).

Nearly four years later, I’m pleased to announce to you the Stand With Rand Writing Contest.

This time, we’re going big and we’re going long. We understand that the mainstream media will attack Senator Paul ceaselessly as he campaigns and spreads a message of individual liberty, sound money, and peace.  They’ll attack him on TV, on the Internet, and in print.

Our plan is to flood the eBook market with books that are pro-Rand and pro-liberty.  In order to do this, I’m calling on fellow patriots and lovers of liberty to put pen to paper and speak from the heart.  I’m calling on YOUR essays on why fellow Americans should vote for Rand Paul.

The essays can be any of these five topics:

1)      Why Conservatives should vote for Rand

2)      Why Progressives should vote for Rand

3)      Why Independents and the politically homeless should vote for Rand

4)      Rand Paul is a better Republican candidate than Ted Cruz

5)      Rand Paul is a better Republican candidate than Marco Rubio

6)      Rand Paul is a better candidate for America than Hillary Clinton

If you do choose to submit your work, it’ll be published it under the Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) license, so you still retain the rights to your work.  Not only are you allowed to re-publish your own work, but the Creative Commons license gives you permission to independently re-publish the entire book!

Remember these guidelines to make your writing most effective:

·       Multiple submissions are allowed, but each submission has to be on a different topic.  The above 5 topics will be 5 different books.

·       Write from the heart. Don’t preach to strangers.  Tell them from the heart why a Paul presidency is important to you AND to the reader.

·       When writing to Conservatives, back up your arguments with Bible verses. Also mention Ronald Reagan and the “conservatarian” philosophy of Reagan and Barry Goldwater that Americans overwhelmingly supported. It wouldn’t hurt to mention Rand’s response to Benghazi, or Glenn Beck leaving the GOP in disgust.

·       When writing to Progressives, don’t forget to mention the damage inflicted on the black community by the Obama administration and Democrat Party policies.  Also stress the Establishment Left’s betrayal of the working class and abandonment of the LGBTQ community.  It’s also good to refer to Howard Zinn’s populist histories and tie Rand in with empowerment of the working classes.  Also, don’t forget that Bill Maher is a huge supporter.

·       If writing about Hillary Clinton, focus on every documented lie, half-truth, and cover up involving Hillary, especially her hawkish support for George W. Bush's, Dick Cheney's, and Barack Obama’s wars. Stress that Clinton represents a new type of imperial/colonialist America.

·       When making a factual claim or referring to something that happened in real time—a historical event, words someone said or wrote, etc.—back it up with a citation in a footnote.  At least provide a url to make it easier for your poor editor.

·       The deadline for submissions is 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time, June 1, 2015.  Even though that’s 6 weeks away, don’t sit on this.  The liberty movement NEEDS your contribution and I'm accepting submissions NOW.

Send submissions to politicalzachfoster@gmail.com

Every bit of VOLUNTARY grass roots activism counts.  Will YOU stand with me?

* * *

'I Stand With Rand' banner courtesy of Latino Rebels.

Let’s Avoid Infighting in the UK Liberty Movement

I’m writing this to our brothers and sisters from “across the pond.”  This message goes out to both the big-L and small-l libertarians.  I see some of the infighting in the UK’s liberty movement, most notably between activists from the UK Independence Party and the Libertarian Party of the UK.

Brothers and sisters in liberty, I can tell you from experience, factionalism and needless infighting took A LOT of steam out of the liberty movement in America.  You would be way better off avoiding it.  In no way am I preaching to you.  Instead I’m using my experience, even the mistakes I made in the past, to help you folks steer clear of some bumpy roads in spreading libertarian thought.

Our biggest problem, especially in the US Libertarian Party, is when factions arise and say "So-and-So is not Libertarian; only WE are the true bastion of liberty. Join us, not them!" Believe me friends, it's counter-productive.

Frankly, if the UKIP proposes ANY ideas or changes that that promotes liberty in any way, shape or form--even if it's not as libertarian as we'd like--their activism is still important. Anything that moves the meter needle away from statism and a little closer to liberty, is important.

Just think where you were, politically, 10 or 15 years ago. Not everyone becomes libertarian overnight. They NEED an intellectual/logical stepping stone.  Even hardcore anarchists in the US are flocking to support the “conservatarian” Rand Paul; they know that his candidacy will be a big push in the direction of libertarian thought.  It's a golden stepping stone for millions of Americans, and we'd be foolish not to support him and build him up.  But Rand is just an example of libertarians and conservatives building coalitions within the liberty movement.

The BEST hope for success is to not put a negative spotlight on other groups we should be allied with, but instead put a spotlight on things you SUPPORT. If you REALLY want to differentiate yourselves from UKIP, put a spotlight on LPUK stances you SUPPORT (but stances different from UKIP's).

The most attractive feature of libertarianism is people who are alive, free, and HAPPY. 100% positivity is far more effective for recruiting than 90% negativity followed by 'Vote for us, we're your last choice'.

I truly pray that I live to see the day a libertarian party wins the majority in Parliament (and the freaking US Congress, too). Far off, maybe, but certainly possible within our lifetimes.

* * *

British R3VOLUTION flag courtesy of the Advocates dot org.